Wednesday, 22 May 2013

Adelaide to Melbourne - Day 4

Overnight it was pretty wet and windy but I was perfectly snug in my little tent! I was up at 6 and after a quick and light breakfast, the usual faff packing with trying to balance weight...eventually on my way peddling by 8am. The busy road was full of speeding trucks and you definitely have to be paying attention when one is coming. It felt like a sluggish start but then I never really have been a morning person!

Mount Gambier was the destination of choice, and a much needed second breakfast after a 45km morning peddling session. Amazing breakfast...nice big Spanish omelette and 2 coffees...that seemed to sort me out.

Next to the town lies an extinct volcano at Blue Lake. Rumored to be the last one on the Aussie mainland to blow...

The crater is beautiful, and its water supplies the whole town

Carla I saw this and thought of you ;)

Well worth a side trip and the crater is practically IN town anyway.

The weather today was again, none to flash...pesky easterly winds, well under 10 degrees most of the day. Sorry to any non-Australians reading this, its not always like "Home and Away" here ;)

Leaving Mount Gambier with 50km on the legs, I had a decision to make. Option 1, was to get to the small town of Nelson and have a really short day. Option 2 was to get as far as I can and camp...as this was another day with a long stretch with no services. Option 3: go for Portland and have big day. Better keep my options open.

After that breakfast I felt good, and soon was at the border between South Australia and Victoria...and cycled across my first time zone!

Before hitting the last town for a while...a little place called Nelson. I brought loads of water, drank as much as I possibly could, and had a quick bite before moving on. At this point I decided I was going to go for Portland, but have enough water to camp if I got caught short.

The road travels through a mix of state forest and National Parks.

However the serenity is definitely spoiled by the constant speeding trucks. I really had to stay sharp and was always looking over one shoulder. Bad enough for me to say: Don't cycle this road (C192 Mt Gambier - Portland).

On the plus side, the legs were pumping again. I made a good steady pace and ate and drank the perfect amount to keep going. Portland looked more and more likely and I promised myself an indoor sleep if I could get there before sundown.

Finally, the forest gave way to truck depots, and then the town itself. Big day! Am past halfway now however and only 1 more day of headwinds before a big westerly system is due to kick in....and that means...TAILWINDS. Fingers crossed.